Swivelling bladed adjustable pitch propeller



June 10, 1947. P.- w. SEEWER 2,422,138

SWIVELLING BLADED ADJUSTABLE PI TCH PROPELLER Filed Sept. 13, 1945 ZSheetS-Sheet 1 FICLG.

FIG. I.

IINVENTORI "P40; 14 SEEM/ER.

BY 6M wurm Arrow/ 5x5 June 10, 1947. P. w. SEEWER 2,422,138 I SWIVELLING BLADED ADJUSTABLE PITCH PROPELLER Filed Sept. 13, 1945 2 heets-Sheet 2 HQQT FIG. 2.

Patented June 10, 1947 to; 11 En l sh; E ffl mna d Lpndo lEng and, aBri s 'gomnan Application sesame; 13 139i n Great Britain No ijibi 1'9; 1943' This invention relates-to a"swive1ling bladed variable pitch propeller and althoughof general application is particularly applicable-to marine propellers:

One object of theinvent'ion isrto provide a iproswiyelling bladed propellers-have usuallyneeded hollow propeller shafts throughwhich to make o nec n t the pl ids w el ing me hanism or to the servo-motortherefor; the present invention provides an improved propeller ,constructionsuitable for mounting on a solid shaft with blade sWivellingmechanism which can be entirely" independent'of the shaft bearings.

According to "the invention the necessary .conmotion for actuating and controlling; .the blade p ra inghan sm is made to the propeller, not through the length of the propeller shaft or through a bearing therefor but' through-1a epara r n e en eqm r ne or more tubular niembers'in .com-rnunieationwith the tilld o he ta ing p opeller hub; p eferably this member is a pipe goingito a fluid-pressure servo-motor in the hub and preferably furthermore a'streamlined member lyingibeyondizthe p op lle a commu ica n with the ,hubaxla'llv at the'jnflse of: the propeller, i.- e:: at ,the' outer end of the hub beyond; the propeller shaft and i b a n Inwa preferred-term orthe invention :ai .fiuidipressure :srwmmotor for swivel'li'ng the blades is mounted in theunsupported'nose of .theihub'beyond the blades (i. e. the'blade's are between the outer shaft bearing and the serve motor) and" fluid under pressure is supplied thr' i gnpi'peconneotionsigloing ah liyji wtiie propel r' i'dsej from one or Ifibre tubular rniembers adjacent to the nose land of streamlined ross section;

According to a" further feature;the serivo j tor is'oiithef kindT-which ssiitstaiit aiiyr he ld i n' positioi iibi the'foperating whe the control valvfef forfthis j is in he ne 1 sition in; order to stop the swittelling mo he-b ade V, l l, V

"l' enzien r arm einlzlydr ul o ser e-em tm r h pu por his: oitn sear: wh l tyn lsne n for use both as ahydraulic' pump and'as a hydra'ulio motor.

A marine propeller arrangement according to the invention is' shown in" the accompanying drawings o'f whlch"Fig;xl is an external View .of the propeller with its hearing and the tubular membenFiguZ isian enlarged view partly in axial sectionto' show the bl'a'dezbearings'Fig; 3 is a view'to a still larger scale, and in'taxial section, of the propeller nose; Fig.4 is a partcrosssection through the servo-motor orrthe line Iv -"1v of Fig; 2; Fig; .5, is. a part axialr section looking end on to a, blade spindleywhile' Figs. ,6 and? are cross" sections" (on and VII-NII'M Eig. ll: throughthe'streamlined tubularmember Fig; 3 is anxenla-rged-section throughja typical form of control valve. 7

In'Fig. '1 .the' propeller-shaft? passes from the vessel through theibearing'lintoithe hub of the propeller 3" Whichis" secured .to the shaft .1 and has 'sw'ivelling' blades A. .As' shown'in 2,;each of" the blades 4" is secured: to at bevel wheelczfl, each carried in a needle'roller bearing-34in the propeller hub 3" immediately adjacent to each blade". Thezoutward' forceon eachiblade is taken by the roller thrustibea'ring 35" behindieachibevel wheell'fll Insideleach"bevelwheel andimmerli ate-1y adjacent" to each bearing'u34' is another needle rioller bearin s-s; One of these is a bear. irigfor an extension 20a from the bevel wheel seeuredzt'o one of the-blades while the other ls a bearing for a spindle :31 securedito the other blade;-

Insidexthe 'hubjbetween'the" blades" .4 and the nose cap" 5, is a'ifiuidi-rpre's'sure' servo-motorconnected to the" blade swivelling "mechanism; as kin Fig. 3. Therblades :4'are operatedinknownniana her by .bevel' gearing," comprising" the previously mentioned" vbevel wheels 2D'. preferably helically toothed-z-. meshing with a drivingbevel pinion ,2! formed on .the: end of "an-actuating shaft 12" co-axial'with the propeller; Mounted onfthisactuatin'g'=-shaft" isza igear wheel? serving astone :of:.=the rotors-oi the-"hydraulic servo-motor. Meshingwithiwheel 24isiatlea'st'one spur pinion 25 :carried bearings 26; within the noseabody' Ill and th'echub S orusually andpreferablyaring of such; pinions 25 disposed around the wheeli' lll as: in-rFig. :4. The nose ilfliand .therhub S besides prov ding, hearings for, these wheels 2,4 .and225' enclose 3111. whole .of this igear arrangement; in a closed watertight pasing: Backing ;rlngsi 23 Within :theHnose'v nd-y All, and-hub "3 snrrounmthe spi disintegralwith ,wneerza. AI duct or ducts Inc is provided" through the "nose-body .r! 0 11p to a point on each pinion 3 25 where a tooth thereon is just about to come into mesh with a tooth of the wheel 24; in Fig. 4 these ducts I will be seen opening into the space to one side of each pinion 2 5between two teeth of the wheel 24 into which space a toothof the pinion is entering. A similar duct Id can be seen extending through the casing similarly located on the opposite side of each W pinion.

Duct lllc communicates with annular opening. Illa and duct llld communicates'with annular opening Nib within the nose-body [0 around the propeller axis close to the end ofthe nose. Fluid .'.-pressure side to the exhaust side.

pressure is applied through ducts Ind and ducts lBcare connected to exhaust the Wheel 24 will under pressure is introduced into the-propeller nose by a partly streamlined hollow ar'mli (Fig.

' 1) carried at its lower end by the nose and reaching up through the ships hull into theinterior of the vessel, this arm thus being, in the case with the. annularspace lb in the nose-body Ill.

Theinner tube 1 can supply .011 to the interior of thehub whereby the blade swiveling mecha-.

nism' in the hub can be kept oil-immersed. The ducts 6a and 6b are connected to the usual control valve l5 aboard the vessel (see Figs. 1 and 8), this valve being movable to either side of the mid position to connect either end of the servomotor to the fluid pressure supply and the other end to exhaust according to the direction in which it is'desired to swivel the blades.

l r The control'valve, which is'shown' in enlarged section in Fig. 8' for clearness, is r of orthodox type' comprising a cylinder body I 6, a ported sleeve I! .slidable therein, a springifl urging the sleeve upwards, and a piston valve IBslidable in the sleeve, the cord v29 from the propeller .being fastened to the sleeve, and the piston valve bee ing operable byv the pistonrod [8a. When the piston .valve is moved downwards within the sleeve, it uncovers ports Ila and Hb in the sleeve; V

fluid under pressure from the supply pipe [6c can enter the space 6b through port llb in the sleeve and port l6b in the body while space 60.

is connected to the exhaust port ltd through the port Ila in the sleeve and the port lEa in the body. As a result, the servo-motor and blades are set in'motion and the cord 29 pulls the sleeve I1 downwards until the ports Ila and I'll) are;

Similarly nectedto. the exhaust port l6e through the port l'lb in the sleeve and the port 16b in the body.

' The servoemo-tor and blades are accordingly set inmotion in the' opposite direction from before" and-the cord 29 allows the sleeve I! to be .moved upwards bythe spring I9 until the ports Ila and lib are againflcovered. by the piston valve. This valve device forms no part of the invention. and is merely the usual valve by whichvariable pitch propellers. are controlled.

i luidpressure, when applied through the set r 7 of dUlcts lilo will act-on certain-teeth, as in Fig. 3, of the wheel 24 and each pinion 25. while'the fluid 4 adjacent to teeth displaced a little way around the wheel 24 will be connected to exhaust through duct I001; the difference in pressure will accordingly rotate the wheel 24 and with it each pinion 25 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4, the

.motion" of the" teeth intermeshed with each other serving to close up spaces'between the teeth in which fluid is trapped and conveyed from the When fluid rotate'in the reverse direction.

The return motion extending through pipe] in order tooperate the valve sleeve I'I mechanically in the usual manner is afforded by a cable 21 forming a loop around the eccentric 28a on the b1ade;spindle 28 shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and

extending axially through the nose to a swivel joint with the cable 29 which extends centrally through tube 1. The swivel joint (Fig. 3) comprises the fianged thimble 30 fastened on the end of cable .2'|,the shouldered sleeve 3l, the

thrust bearing 32 between the flange of thimble 30 and the shoulder of sleeve 3! and the-plug-33 fixed in the 'end of sleeve 3| and fastened-on the end of cable 29. The cable 29 is, of course, kept taut by'the spring l9 on the valve l5 (Fig.

The described form of servo-motor has the advantage that, if the reaction on the blades 4 tends to swivel them'and drive the motor, the

latter can be heldstationary by the application of sufiicient fluid pressure thereto. Through the cable zilconnected to the usual follow-up de-- vice constituted by. the sleeve ll of the control valve l5, movement of the blades 4 after the valve l5 has been closed will reopen the valve to apply the pressure necessaryto prevent further movement of the blades.

It is possible if desired to give the blades an angular motion of 180 without requiring'undue' space and hence anunduly largeand in "par-- ticular unduly long propeller hub.

Since the arm 6 is stationary, while the pro:

pelleris rotating, the lower end of the arm, which end is cylindrical," enters the nose of the pro peller axially and engages therewith through a running joint including the'necessary stufiing box. This is formed by the -V section. annular Washers of packing material (Fig. 3) embrace ing the'externally circular part of arm 6 and held by the nose cap 5 in a recess in the nose-body l0 against the force of ring I2 Whichis urged outwards by springs [3 around pegs l2a projecting from the ring l2. As will be seen from Figs. 6 and 7 the cross-section of the arm progressively changes from a circular to a streamlined section.

What I claim as. my invention and desire-to secure by Letters Patent is: r I

' propeller connected to said tubular memberf af 1. In combination, azvariable pitch propeller" incorporating apropeller hub, swivelling blades thereon, a rotary gear wheel typefluid pressure.

rotary hub and in fluid supply connection with said servo-motor. without forming a] supporting .bearing forsaid hub, a control valve outside the follow-up member withinis'aid valve, an eccentric connected with-one of the-said swivelling blades;

,a follower engaging said eccentric, land'a mel- I chanically operative connection extending 'r oin: 7 the saidfollower throughsaid-tubularmember' to'said followupf memberwithin the valve the;

said connection being adapted, subsequently to an adjustment of the said blades by the said servo-motor, to restore the said follow-up member to a position relative to the said control valve in which the latter disconnects the servomotor from the fluid pressure tending to continue said adjustment of the blades.

2. In combination, a variable pitch propeller incorporating a propeller hub, a pair of diametrically opposite swivelling blades thereon, hollow blade spindles secured to said blades and extending into said hub, a bearing within said hub around each of said spindles immediately adjacent to the blade, a bearing within each of said spindles adjacent to the blade and embracing the end of an extension from the spindle of the opposite blade, at fluid pressure servo-motor within said hub in driving connection with said blade spindles, a stationary fluid supply pipe to said servo-motor not forming a supporting bearing for said hub, a control valve outside the propeller connected to the said stationary fluid supply pipe, a follow-up member within said valve, an eccentric on one of the said blade spindles a follower engaging said eccentric, and a mechanically operative connection extending through the said fluid pipe between the said follower and the said follow-up member within the valve, the said connection being adapted subsequently to an adjustment of the said blades by the said servomotor, to restore the said follow-up member to a position relative to the said control valve in which the latter disconnects the servomotor from the fluid pressure tending to continue the said adjustment of the blades.

PAUL WERNER SEEWER.

REFERENGES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,987,651 Wiegand Jan. 15, 1935 2,202,813 Gausmann June 4, 1940 2,313,795 Algarsson Mar. 16, 1943 2,357,228 Seewer Aug. 29, 1944 2,357,914 Stepanoff Sept, 12, 1944 2,403,532 Hoover July 9, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 127,659 Austria Dec. 15, 1931 

